Typically, gas turbine engines include a compressor for compressing air, a combustor for mixing the compressed air with fuel and igniting the mixture, and a turbine blade assembly for producing power. Compressed air is exhausted from an exhaust opening in the compressor into the shell of the turbine engine wherein the compressed air diffuses into a mid-frame cavity and undergoes turbulent flow around the hardware before finding the inlet to the combustor. In such a configuration, all of the components forming the turbine engine that are contained within the shell are exposed to pressurized, hot air. However, the compressor exit temperature is often too high for the steel casing material.